Tortilis Camp
Amboseli is best known for its unrivalled views of Kilimanjaro and its elephants, with over 1500 elephants in the parks eco-system, and featuring some of the largest in Africa.
Tortilis Camp is named after the flat-topped, umbrella thorn tree Acacia Tortilis, a sight synonymous with East Africa. It is situated in one of Amboseli's areas of Acacia Tortilis woodland, with the majestic backdrop of Africa's highest mountain, the snow-capped Kilimanjaro. Game drives, walks, sundowners and bush meals are enjoyed both inside the park, and within a private 30,000-acre game where Tortilis Camp is located.
Accommodations are designed with comfort in mind, with king or twin beds and elegant en suite bathrooms. Exclusive accommodations are available in the luxurious Private House and Family Tent, set separately to the main camp, each enjoying access to a shared private pool and stunning views to Kilimanjaro.
Tortilis Camp has a main lounge, bar and dining area, all exquisitely built with natural materials and thatched roofs, and enjoying magnificent views of Kilimanjaro.
En suite Tents
With Mt. Kilimanjaro peering down over the entire camp, each of Tortilis Camp’s 16 tents has a glorious view of the mountain.
Each makuti-covered tent consists of a main bedroom with twin or double beds, en-suite bathroom and a spacious verandah. All tents can fit one extra bed, for children under the age of 16 yrs only.
Private House
With Mt. Kilimanjaro peering down over the entire camp, Tortilis Camp’s Private House has a glorious view of the mountain.
The Private House, newly refurbished 2014, consists of two en-suite double bedroom (one double & one triple) with a shared lounge and dining room with verandah. Private House and Family Tent share a private swimming pool.
Family Tent
With outstanding views of Mt Kilimanjaro, enjoyed from the comfort of your own private family verandah, Tortilis Camp’s new Family Tent is another great addition to this child-friendly safari camp in Amboseli.
The Family Tent consists of two en-suite bedrooms (one double & one twin) and a spacious private verandah. Both bedrooms can fit one extra bed for children under the age of 16 years only.
Game Drives
With only 10% of Amboseli National Park utilized by most safari vehicles, combined with Tortilis Camp’s unique location on the western edge of the park (most lodges are outside of the eastern gate of the park), guests can enjoy an almost private Amboseli. We also have private gamedriving within our own 30,000 acre Kitirua Conservancy, which is the western part of the Amboseli ecosystem.
Tortilis Camp boasts an elite fleet of custom-designed safari vehicles, and highly-qualified guides with intimate knowledge of their "backyards".
Guided Walks
Tortilis Camp’s walking guides are Masai from the local community, who have been walking over these plains since childhood.
Take the time to leave the car behind and enjoy the small things – tracks, dung beetles, micro-ecosystems. The guides are happy to share their knowledge of the terrain, traditional uses of wild herbs and barks, and the Masai way of life.
Sundowners
“Sundowners” are a safari tradition – after a day of safari; stop, watch the spectacular sunset; traditionally with a gin and tonic in hand!
Cultural Visits
In the heart of Masai country, Tortilis Camp offers visits to local Masai homesteads. The Masai live in semi-permanent huts known as Manyattas and it is the role of the wife to construct the hut from cattle dung and grass. The families will show you round their home for a fee (payable separately, ask reception for details), and will want to take the opportunity to sell their traditional handicrafts – bargain hard!
Swimming pool
Enjoy the cool waters in the heat of the day!
Within the lush green gardens, the pool is shaded by palms and acacia Tortilis, and a haven for tropical birds. The swimming pool has bar service and board games.
Spa Treatments
Safari is also a holiday and a rest – a break from today’s frenetic lifestyle. Tortilis Camp offers massages and manicure and pedicures.
Kenya Classic Sky Safari
For 8-days and 7-nights, staying in Kenya's very best camps and lodges, our SkySafari guests will enjoy exceptional game viewing, intimate and bespoke dining, and an array of incomparable memories which will surely last a lifetime.
Travelling in comfort and style with our very own executive class aircraft, SkySafari guests will visit Amboseli National Park, with its breathtaking views of Mt Kilimanjaro, see the large elephant herds of Meru National Parkand and enjoy the abundance of wildlife at Masai Mara Game Reserve.
Extensions may be added on to enhance your experience. You may extend your days in the Masai Mara, either staying on at Sand River or moving to Elephant Pepper Camp, explore the Serengeti at either Serengeti Migration Camp or Serengeti Pioneer Camp, or end your journey with a stay at AfroChic, located on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
Day 1 : Nairobi
Set between Nairobi National Park and the foot of the Ngong Hills, Hemingways Nairobi is an exclusive boutique hotel far from the bustle of central Nairobi. An all-suite property providing full butler service, gourmet restaurant, a brasserie and a bar, it is perfectly placed for trips to Nairobi National Park and the capital.
Hemingways Nairobi has a sophisticated and tranquil ambiance. Each of the 45 suites is a generous size, all with walk-in dressing rooms and a terrace with magnificent views of the Ngong Hills.
Days 2 & 3 : Amboseli National Park
Tortilis Camp 140km south of Nairobi, Amboseli National Park is the second most popular wildlife area in Kenya, famous for its large population of over 1000 resident elephants and for its scenic beauty with the backdrop of the world’s highest free-standing mountain, snow-capped Kilimanjaro.
Amboseli National Park covers 96,865 acres (392km²), which constitutes less than 5% of the entire 2 million acre ecosystem of the Amboseli basin crossing from Kenya into Tanzania. The lush green wetlands in this otherwise dry area make Amboseli National Park one of the best wildlife-viewing areas on the planet, attracting over 600 species of birds including pelicans, kingfishers, crakes, hammerkops, 47 types of raptors as well as the African elephant, cape buffalo, impala, hyena, giraffe, zebra, gazelle and wildebeest with lion and cheetah among the big cats that roam the area.
Tortilis Camp has unrivalled views of Kilimanjaro, rising out of the semi-arid bush studded plains – Africa’s highest mountain, and the highest free standing mountain in the world.
Amboseli opens your eyes to Africa’s vast space: a photographer’s paradise. Famous for over 1000 elephants, also lion, cheetah, hyena and jackal hunt the prolific plains game; around camp the Acacia Tortilis forest is host to many bird species and literally thousands of weaver nests hang above the tents adding a rousing dawn chorus into the mix.
Winner of British Airways’ prestigious eco-tourism award, Tortilis pioneered low impact, high comfort tourism. Guests have access to a private 30,000 acre conservancy facing the mountain; and can enjoy walks with experienced Masai guides, bush breakfasts and sundowners. Tortilis is famous for Northern Italian cuisine based on original family recipes.
Days 4-5: Meru National Park
Elsa’s Kopje- Meru National Park, wild and remote, lies 10km north of the equator between Mount Kenya and the Nyambeni Mountains, 350km from Nairobi. Meru forms part of a larger conservation area covering 370,000 acres including the adjoining Kora, Rahole and Bisanadi Reserves.
The park was brought to fame in the 60’s through Joy Adamson’s bestselling book, Born Free, the true story about Elsa the lioness. The park also incorporates an 84km2 rhino sanctuary, making Meru one of the prime destinations to see rhino in their natural habitat. The birdlife in Samburu and Meru is extraordinarily colourful and abundant with over 400 species of birds.
Rugged and remote: Meru National Park was rescued from oblivion thanks to Elsa’s Kopje, an environmental award-winning, boutique lodge. Visitors get the whole place to themselves: all 870 km2 of it, including a thriving rhino sanctuary inside the Park. Famous for large elephant herds, lion and birdlife, and more diversity of animal species than any park in East Africa; Meru is also the only National Park to permit ranger-guided bush walks. Other activities include fishing in the streams, game drives to Kora and Bisanadi National Reserves, and night game drives back to camp.
Unashamedly romantic and beautifully styled, sculpted into Mughwango Hill, above the site of George Adamson’s original camp where he raised and released orphan lions, long before conservation became fashionable. Each cottage is crafted round the rocks, with a large bedroom, open sitting room, veranda, rock-hewn bathroom, and breathtaking views.
Days 6-7: Masai Mara Game Reserve
Sand River Masai Mara-The Masai Mara is famous for its astounding numbers of wildlife. With both resident and transient populations of lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, giraffe, elephant, to name a few, as well as over 450 bird species, the vast fertile plains are dense with game.
The area has been classified among the “Seven Wonders of the World” due to the extraordinary annual migration from July to November when over 1.3 million wildebeest and zebra cross from the Serengeti to the Maasai Mara in search of greener pastures.
However, the Masai Mara National Reserve itself, measuring 373,000 acres, is only a fraction of the Greater Mara-Serengeti Ecosystem, much of which falls under ownership of Maasai pastoralists. Some of the ecosystem’s prime game viewing lies within the conservation areas surrounding the Reserve. These conservancies have been set up by the private sector in partnership with local Maasai landowners in order to conserve the larger Masai Mara ecosystem and extend the protection area for wildlife.
Day 8: Nairobi - Departure
Enjoy a morning game drive or relax at camp. After lunch your SkySafari flight will take you back to Wilson Airport. You will be chauffeured to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport; before arriving there we will stop at one of Nairobi’s gourmet restaurants where dinner will be served. You will arrive at the airport in time for your outbound flight.
For more information on Tortilis Camp click HERE
